开端 (kāi duān) — beginning, start (of an event, period, or proce…

Definition

A formal/literary word for the 'beginning' of an event, period, or story. More abstract and written than the plain 开始, and feels weightier than 起点 (which leans toward a literal 'starting point').

noun

beginningstart (of an event, period, or process)

Examples

开端。
Liáng hǎo de kāi duān shì chéng gōng de yí bàn.
A good start is half the battle.
开端。
Zhè ge xiàng mù de kāi duān hěn shùn lì.
The start of this project went very smoothly.
开端。
Gù shi de kāi duān fā shēng zài xià tiān.
The story's beginning takes place in summer.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

开kāibegin

端duānbeginning

开 and 端 both point to the first part of something, so together they mean a beginning.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 開; 开 is its simplified writing.

門一廾開

門門méndoor
一一yīlatch and/or wooden pole that shuts a door
廾廾gǒnga pair of hands

The traditional form 開 shows 廾, a pair of hands, and 一, a latch or pole, inside 門, a door: hands opening a latched door. The simplified 开 is a shorthand form, so its parts are not the original pieces.

Open 开 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

立耑端

Meaning part形符xíngfú

立立lì

Sound part声符shēngfú

耑

耑zhuān端duān

Same sound today

端 is made by putting 立 beside 耑. The 立 part is connected to the meaning, and 耑 gives the sound.

Open 端 →

Appears in